CompTIA Server+
1 Server Hardware
1-1 Server Types
1-1 1 Rack Servers
1-1 2 Tower Servers
1-1 3 Blade Servers
1-1 4 Micro Servers
1-1 5 Hyper-converged Infrastructure
1-1 6 Virtual Servers
1-2 Server Components
1-2 1 CPUs
1-2 2 Memory (RAM)
1-2 3 Storage Devices
1-2 4 Power Supply Units (PSUs)
1-2 5 Cooling Systems
1-2 6 Network Interface Cards (NICs)
1-2 7 Batteries and Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS)
1-2 8 Chassis and Enclosures
1-3 Server Form Factors
1-3 1 ATX
1-3 2 EATX
1-3 3 MicroATX
1-3 4 Mini-ITX
1-3 5-1U, 2U, 4U
1-4 Server Management
1-4 1 Remote Management Interfaces
1-4 2 Out-of-Band Management
1-4 3 In-Band Management
1-4 4 KVM (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) Switches
1-4 5 Serial Console
2 Server Virtualization
2-1 Virtualization Concepts
2-1 1 Hypervisors
2-1 2 Type 1 Hypervisors
2-1 3 Type 2 Hypervisors
2-1 4 Virtual Machines (VMs)
2-1 5 Virtual Disks
2-1 6 Virtual Networking
2-2 Virtualization Platforms
2-2 1 VMware vSphere
2-2 2 Microsoft Hyper-V
2-2 3 Citrix XenServer
2-2 4 KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
2-3 Virtual Machine Management
2-3 1 VM Creation
2-3 2 VM Configuration
2-3 3 VM Migration
2-3 4 VM Cloning
2-3 5 VM Snapshots
2-4 Resource Management
2-4 1 CPU Allocation
2-4 2 Memory Allocation
2-4 3 Storage Allocation
2-4 4 Network Allocation
3 Server Storage
3-1 Storage Technologies
3-1 1 Direct-Attached Storage (DAS)
3-1 2 Network-Attached Storage (NAS)
3-1 3 Storage Area Network (SAN)
3-1 4 Object Storage
3-1 5 Cloud Storage
3-2 Storage Protocols
3-2 1 SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)
3-2 2 SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment)
3-2 3 SAS (Serial Attached SCSI)
3-2 4 iSCSI (Internet Small Computer System Interface)
3-2 5 Fibre Channel
3-2 6 NFS (Network File System)
3-2 7 SMBCIFS (Server Message BlockCommon Internet File System)
3-3 RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks)
3-3 1 RAID 0
3-3 2 RAID 1
3-3 3 RAID 5
3-3 4 RAID 6
3-3 5 RAID 10
3-3 6 RAID Levels Comparison
3-4 Storage Management
3-4 1 Disk Partitioning
3-4 2 File Systems
3-4 3 Volume Management
3-4 4 Backup and Recovery
3-4 5 Data Deduplication
4 Server Networking
4-1 Network Protocols
4-1 1 TCPIP
4-1 2 DNS (Domain Name System)
4-1 3 DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
4-1 4 HTTPHTTPS
4-1 5 FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
4-1 6 SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
4-1 7 SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)
4-2 Network Configuration
4-2 1 IP Addressing
4-2 2 Subnetting
4-2 3 VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks)
4-2 4 Routing
4-2 5 Firewall Configuration
4-3 Network Services
4-3 1 Web Servers
4-3 2 Mail Servers
4-3 3 File Servers
4-3 4 Print Servers
4-3 5 Database Servers
4-4 Network Security
4-4 1 Encryption
4-4 2 Authentication
4-4 3 Access Control
4-4 4 Intrusion Detection and Prevention
4-4 5 VPN (Virtual Private Network)
5 Server Maintenance and Troubleshooting
5-1 Hardware Maintenance
5-1 1 Component Replacement
5-1 2 Firmware Updates
5-1 3 Driver Updates
5-1 4 Regular Cleaning
5-2 Software Maintenance
5-2 1 Operating System Updates
5-2 2 Application Updates
5-2 3 Patch Management
5-2 4 Backup Procedures
5-3 Troubleshooting Techniques
5-3 1 Diagnostic Tools
5-3 2 Error Logs
5-3 3 System Monitoring
5-3 4 Performance Tuning
5-4 Disaster Recovery
5-4 1 Backup Strategies
5-4 2 Restore Procedures
5-4 3 Failover and Failback
5-4 4 Business Continuity Planning
6 Server Security
6-1 Security Concepts
6-1 1 Confidentiality
6-1 2 Integrity
6-1 3 Availability
6-2 Security Measures
6-2 1 Physical Security
6-2 2 Network Security
6-2 3 Data Encryption
6-2 4 User Authentication
6-2 5 Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
6-3 Security Protocols
6-3 1 SSLTLS
6-3 2 SSH (Secure Shell)
6-3 3 IPSec
6-3 4 Kerberos
6-4 Security Best Practices
6-4 1 Regular Audits
6-4 2 Security Policies
6-4 3 Incident Response
6-4 4 Compliance
7 Server Administration
7-1 User Management
7-1 1 User Accounts
7-1 2 Group Management
7-1 3 Permissions and Access Rights
7-1 4 Password Policies
7-2 System Configuration
7-2 1 Time and Date Settings
7-2 2 Network Configuration
7-2 3 Resource Allocation
7-2 4 Service Management
7-3 Monitoring and Reporting
7-3 1 Performance Monitoring
7-3 2 Resource Utilization
7-3 3 Event Logs
7-3 4 Reporting Tools
7-4 Automation and Scripting
7-4 1 Task Automation
7-4 2 Scripting Languages
7-4 3 Configuration Management Tools
8 Server Compliance and Standards
8-1 Industry Standards
8-1 1 ISO Standards
8-1 2 ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library)
8-1 3 COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies)
8-2 Regulatory Compliance
8-2 1 GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
8-2 2 HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
8-2 3 PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)
8-3 Best Practices
8-3 1 Documentation
8-3 2 Change Management
8-3 3 Risk Management
8-3 4 Continuous Improvement
1.1.6 Virtual Servers Explained

1.1.6 Virtual Servers Explained

Key Concepts

Virtual Servers

Virtual servers are software-based servers that run on physical hardware but operate independently, each with its own operating system and resources. They are created using virtualization technology, which allows multiple virtual servers to run on a single physical server.

Hypervisor

A hypervisor, also known as a virtual machine monitor (VMM), is the software that enables the creation and management of virtual servers. It abstracts the physical hardware and allocates resources such as CPU, memory, and storage to each virtual server. There are two types of hypervisors: Type 1 (bare-metal) and Type 2 (hosted).

Resource Allocation

Resource allocation in virtual servers involves distributing physical server resources among multiple virtual servers. This is managed by the hypervisor, which ensures that each virtual server receives the necessary resources to function efficiently. Dynamic resource allocation allows for adjustments based on demand, optimizing performance and efficiency.

Isolation

Isolation is a critical feature of virtual servers that ensures each virtual server operates independently without affecting others. This is achieved through the hypervisor, which creates separate virtual environments for each server. Isolation enhances security and stability, preventing issues in one virtual server from impacting others.

Scalability

Scalability in virtual servers refers to the ability to easily increase or decrease the number of virtual servers and their resources based on demand. This flexibility allows organizations to scale their computing resources without the need for additional physical hardware. For example, during peak times, more virtual servers can be spun up to handle increased load, and scaled down during off-peak times to save resources.

Examples and Analogies

Think of virtual servers as apartments in a building, where each apartment has its own space, utilities, and occupants, but they all share the same infrastructure (building). The building manager (hypervisor) ensures that each apartment (virtual server) gets the necessary resources (water, electricity) and maintains isolation between apartments. If more apartments are needed, the building manager can easily add more units, demonstrating scalability.

Another analogy is a classroom with multiple students (virtual servers) sharing the same teacher (hypervisor) and resources (books, desks). The teacher ensures that each student gets individual attention and resources, while maintaining a separate learning environment for each student. If more students are needed, additional classrooms can be added, showcasing scalability.